Key Points of New Techniques for Efficient, Pollution-Free Potato Cultivation

The efficient, pollution-free potato cultivation technique shows the most remarkable results when applied on gentle slopes of red soil hills. Compared with potatoes grown by ordinary methods in the same period, it can make potatoes mature more than 15 days earlier, save 30% of fertilizer, save 2-3 labor units, cut costs by more than 40%, increase yield by 150%-300%, raise the rate of large tubers by 30%-40%, and increase income by more than 700 yuan per 667 sq m.

1. Select good varieties: choose early- and mid-maturing varieties with high quality, high yield and strong resistance; virus-free varieties are even better. Varieties available for selection include: Zhongshu No. 2, Zhongshu No. 3, Dongnong 303, Lu Potato No. 1, Zhengshu No. 5, etc.

2. Technical content and planting procedure

1. With no-till or shallow tillage, apply directly per 667 sq m: 50 kg-70 kg of Hongzhong microbial fertilizer + 16.8 kg-24 kg of 25% NPK compound fertilizer, or 9.3 kg-13.3 kg of 45% NPK compound fertilizer + 10 kg-15 kg of urea + 330 kg of dried chicken manure + 2500 kg of pig and cattle manure water or biogas slurry.

2. Sow from November 10 to December 10.

3. Use 100 kg-125 kg of seed potatoes per 667 sq m, cover the seed and form ridges.

4. After rain or after watering the furrows, spray 200 g of no-deep-tillage agent mixed with 100 kg of water.

5. Cover with microfilm and open holes to let the seedlings emerge.

6. In late February, spray 50 g of 15% paclobutrazol mixed with 40 kg of water.

7. In early March, spray 20 mL of Pengdaling mixed with 30 kg of water.

8. Finish harvesting before mid-April.

3. Skillful fertilization: on unplowed or shallowly plowed land, directly open sowing furrows 15 cm deep, place the microbial fertilizer, compound fertilizer, urea and half of the chicken manure in the furrows, and cover with 5 cm of fine soil. Then pour pig and cattle manure water or biogas slurry into the furrows until saturated moisture is reached, and then sow. Finally, apply the other half of the chicken manure in spots between the seed potatoes.

4. Treatment of seed potatoes, sowing, ridging and film mulching: seed potatoes should be sunned, cut and disinfected according to conventional practice. Cut each kilogram of seed potatoes into 40-50 pieces, each with 2 eyes. Soak the cut pieces for 5-10 minutes in a solution of 5 g of "920" dissolved in 100 kg of water for sprouting treatment. When sowing, place the eyes upward and press them with slight force into the muddy paste in the sowing furrow, with row spacing of 50-60 cm x 20-25 cm. Sow 4500-5500 hills per 667 sq m. After sowing, immediately cover the seed and form ridges 15-20 cm high, then spray the no-deep-tillage agent. Note: spraying the no-deep-tillage agent must be done after rain or after pouring water into half the furrow so that the ridge surface soil absorbs moisture; otherwise the effect will be affected. Immediately after spraying the no-deep-tillage agent, cover with microfilm. When covering the film, press the edges firmly and leave no gaps, and scatter a little soil on the film to press it down and prevent wind from lifting it. Check promptly after 25 days, break the film and let the seedlings emerge, so as to prevent frost injury and damage to the terminal buds from sunlight radiation heat. After emergence, the field needs no intertillage, weeding or pest and disease control.

5. Pest and disease control: potato late blight bacteria generally invade the aboveground parts and cause disease from late March to mid-April, and infect underground tubers from late April to early May, causing tuber rot. Pests such as ladybugs, aphids and scarab beetles mostly begin to cause damage from mid-May to early June. With this technique, potatoes are already harvested before mid-April, thus completely avoiding the damage of the above pests and diseases, so no pesticide needs to be sprayed, ensuring the high quality and pollution-free nature of the product.